Need any signed BW books for presents?
I'll have most titles on hand Saturday for this festive gathering of authors and artists
Drop by, say hello, and buy a signed copy of one or more of my books. BUY TWO AND GET A THIRD BOOK FREE.
The event is Saturday, Dec. 14, in the glass-roofed Atrium of the Lane Events Center next to the Holiday Market. I will be available, along with 48 other Oregon writers and artists, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hope to see you there!
And an added benefit: We’re right next door to the holiday market, where hundreds of vendors are sharing their wonderful works of art.
Coming this Thursday: In the spirit of what I used to do in my column for The Register-Guard, I’ll write about giving away $1,000 to (mostly) total strangers. It’s my way of honoring you (the money is taken from Substack subscription payments); honoring the spirit of the season; and honoring the Eugene business owner who used to give me that amount each year with instructions to do “random acts of kindness.” I’m just paying forward the inspiration the anonymous donor gave to me.
Click to order gift subscription for a friend or family member
Substack paid subscribers: Renewal day is near for many of you; if you pay by year, do nothing and your subscription will AUTOMATICALLY RENEW with your payment method on file.
To OPT OUT just click on the link that Substack will include in an email that should arrive in your inbox about a week before your one-year mark.
WHEN I STARTED Heart, Humor & Hope last January, I made you a promise: a column a week — 52 columns — plus four Q&A columns on Oregon trivia. With roughly two weeks left in the year, here’s what I’ve offered:
— Fifty-seven columns, with two more scheduled to run before year’s end.
— Four Q&A columns, one per quarter.
— Eighty-seven total posts.
— The establishment, totally unplanned, of a “Photos of the Week” feature, Q&A conversations with interesting folks and a “40Below” feature highlighting “young ones.”
I’ve taken you on trips to Montana, Texas, Ashland, Yachats, Central Oregon, Meridian, Idaho, the Pacific Crest Trail and Dari Mart, the latter after what some readers thought was an ill-advised walk in an ice storm in micro spikes. I’ve introduced you to an array of intriguing people, from indefatigable Lynn Frohnmayer to “the mother in the cemetery,” Laurie Whitham; from my adopted sixth-grade class in Taylorville, Ill., to Garrett and Bethany Loveall, the young Bend couple who overcame much to find each other and to have two children.
I’ve interviewed folks from fire expert Mike Thoele to former Register-Guard editorial page editor Jackman Wilson to new Lookout Eugene-Springfield publisher Ken Doctor to reserve Oregon quarterback Brock Thomas.
Frankly, I’ve had a blast — thanks to you for making it possible. My paid subscription base allows me to do what I’m doing.
For 2025, we’ll keep our subscription prices the same
For 2025, we’ll keep our subscription prices the same as they’ve been from the start — $50 a year or $5 per month; in either case, less than $1 per column. If you're a paid subscriber, your subscription will automatically renew. You’ll receive an email reminder about a week before your subscription is set to renew.
To stop your paid subscription from renewing, you’ll need to cancel your subscription before the renewal date by following these steps: How do I cancel my paid subscription?
If you’re a free subscriber and would like to start receiving every post I send instead of being allowed to read one only now and then — or read a column until you hit a paywall — you can do so here.
If you’d like to give a holiday gift subscription to someone you know, you can do so here.
Finally, if you’d like to make it possible for me to give a subscription to someone who can’t afford one, you can do so here.
Wonderful Life interview
On Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, I was interviewed about 52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life on the Rhythm & Roads podcast with Joshua Jacob. Here’s the YouTube version. (32 minutes.)
And for those of you who may have missed it: A 5-question Wonderful Life mini-quiz whose winner gets the complete script of the movie!
I’M GIVING AWAY a new copy of It’s a Wonderful Life: The Original Screenplay to whoever can get the most correct answers to the following five multiple-choice questions.
Any ties will be decided by whoever guesses most closely the number of points the Oregon women’s basketball team will score Tuesday night (Dec. 17) against Air Force at Matthew Knight Arena. The second tiebreaker question — you can never be too cautious in these contests — is: At https://www.localconditions.com/weather-eugene-oregon/97401/past.php, what will the temperature in Eugene be at 9 p.m. that same Tuesday?
Email answers to: bobwelch@bobwelchwriter.com. The winner will be announced in the Thursday, Dec. 19 Substack column.
Deadline is noon Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Here we go:
Sally and I had the privilege of attending the Wonderful Life Festival in Seneca Falls, N.Y., a town that fashions itself as the inspiration for Bedford Falls in the movie. What year did we go?
a. 2009
b. 2011
c. 2013
d. 2015
At the event, Sally (left) hit it off with the daughter of one of the actors or actresses in the movie; the two sat together at a dinner that was held in an ice cold tent. Who was this woman’s mother or father?
a. Jimmy Stewart, who played George Bailey.
b. Henry Traverse, who played Clarence the angel.
c. Lionel Barrymore, who played Mr. Potter.
d. Donna Reed, who played Mary Bailey.
What actor or actress in It’s a Wonderful Life have I interviewed in person?
a. Gloria Grahame, who played Violet Bick.
b. Larry Simms, who played Pete.
c. Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu.
d. Danny Mummert, who played Marty.
I made two huge blunders in my book 52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life. What were they?
a. I called Violet Bick Virginia Bick. I referred to Pottsersville as Pottersford.
b. I said the football jersey George wore home from the dance (and swim) was No. 4 when it was No. 3. I called Mary’s brother Matty instead of Marty.
c. I said the Baileys had three children not four. I said Zuzu’s flower was made of construction paper when it was real.
d. I said Mr. Gower’s son drowned (he died of influenza). I said George lost part of his hearing in his right ear, not his left.
In 1944, my father-in-law, Harold Youngberg, as a member of the Carlton (Ore.) Combined Cattle and Sheep Club, visited the nearby Jersey farm of a man, right, who played a part in It’s a Wonderful Life. Who was the actor, what part did he play and which of the two young men in the photo above is my father-in-law? (Incidentally, at 95 Harold is a Substack subscriber, perhaps our oldest — and a great father-in-law.)
a. Actor is H.B. Warner, who played Mr. Gower. Father-in-law is center.
b. Actor is Frank Albertson, who played Sam Wainwright. Father-in-law is left.
c. Actor is Thomas Mitchell, who played Uncle Billy. Father-in-law is left.
d. Actor is Thomas Mitchell, who played Uncle Billy. Father-in-law is center.
Tiebreaker No. 1: How many points will the Oregon women’s basketball team score Tuesday night Dec. 17 against Air Force?
Tiebreaker No. 2: According to https://www.localconditions.com/weather-eugene-oregon/97401/past.php, what will the temperature in Eugene be at 9 p.m. that same Tuesday?